Puxico players, from left, Sara Holloway, Erin Clark, Brittany Little, Ashley Hoyer, Kristen Pratt and Hannah Wright look to their bench for instructions during a match Tuesday against Poplar Bluff in Puxico. (Paul Davis/DAR)

By BRIAN ROSENER ~ DAR Sports Editor

PUXICO -- There was plenty of confusion before and during the season-opening volleyball match Tuesday night, but a mixup in Puxico's lineup at the start of the pivotal third game gave Poplar Bluff the lead for good.

The Lady Mules rallied for a 18-25, 25-9, 25-16 road win in coach Mike Berry's debut.

"I blew the game," Puxico coach Karen Hazel said. "Third game I had them totally out of whack. They had no idea what they were doing."

Hazel said she got two numbers switched on the lineup before the third game. When the Lady Indians started in the wrong rotation, Poplar Bluff got a point and never trailed after that.

Once the rotation is set for a game, a team can only substitute. Hazel, who is starting her 29th season, wanted to start the same rotation as the opening game, which also seemed to confuse her players. The change was necessary, she said, because two players were not available.

It didn't seem to faze the Lady Indians once the match started as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead and cruised to take the opening game. The closest Poplar Bluff got was three points but a service error and a block by junior Ashley Hoyer pushed Puxico's lead to 9-4. Erin Thompson later had a pair of aces to go up 14-5.

"I had all the setters where they're supposed to be and the centers and all that but I didn't have them by the person they're use to practicing (with)," Hazel said.

Poplar Bluff was also without two starters as Tori Williams and Kaci Tapp were still recovering from injuries suffered in a horse-riding accident. Berry said both are expected to return soon and that Staci Callahan and Kara Persons stepped in and did a good job Tuesday night.

The Lady Mules also gave up a point because of a rotation error and there was some confusion during the new pregame warmup routine. Poplar Bluff gave up 35 points to errors including 11 on serves.

Poplar Bluff's Grace Griffith reaches for a hit during a match Tuesday in Puxico. (Paul Davis/DAR) [Click to enlarge]

"Got a few kinks to work out as far as getting to some balls and certain things," Berry said. "Lot of unforced errors, serving errors -- even in the third game -- we let (Puxico being out of rotation) mess up our gameplan."

The Lady Mules rallied by taking the second game behind the serving of Jamie Fritts. The senior got to the serve line after a kill up the middle put Poplar Bluff up 4-2. Fritts then served aces for six of the next seven points with a kill by Grace Griffith included. Callahan's kill off a block put the Lady Mules ahead 12-2.

Fritts finished with nine aces and six kills to lead Poplar Bluff.

"We came out and were aggressive all the way around and got the serves, got the kills on the serves," Berry said. "Just more aggressive play."

That continued in the third game with Blake Talkington getting a kill down the left side to put the Lady Mules up 2-0 and Fritts later won a joust at the net to go up 3-1. After a pair of Poplar Bluff hitting errors, Puxico appeared to pull within a point on a kill but confusion over the rotation led to an illegal backrow attack and the point was awarded to the Lady Mules.

A service error, one of nine by Puxico, and an attack that missed the back line gave Poplar Bluff a four-point lead before Callahan's kill up the middle on a free ball. Kills by Talkington and Fritts were followed by service errors but the Lady Mules put together a run starting with a kill by Fritts that got her the serve. The senior's serve hit the net, sat on the tape for a beat then fell in for a point and a 15-8 Poplar Bluff lead. Fritts then got two more aces during the 5-0 run to give the Lady Mules a 10-point cushion.

"Poplar Bluff got in their groove and started getting their serves in," Hazel said. "When you've got a serve that's going in and you've got kids that aren't talking, you're not going to pass the thing."

Notes: Talkington had five kills while Griffith and Callahan combined for five more for Poplar Bluff. Abby Ivie led with seven assists and had eight digs while Griffith's 10 digs led the team. … The game was only the second time Puxico was able to play in Ryan Gym since the replacement of the floor over the summer. The team has practiced in the cafeteria. … In the junior varsity game, Poplar Bluff rallied for a 23-25, 25-19, 25-21 win. Puxico led 11-1 in the second game before the Lady Mules scored 13 of the next 16 points to tie the game. Katie Godwin had seven kills to lead Poplar Bluff while Abbie McDaniel and Chelsea Marquis each led with five aces.